Associate Director, Outsourcing & Vendor Governance & Supplier Management (CMC)

Crinetics Pharmaceuticals • San Diego, CA

2d

About The Position

Crinetics is a pharmaceutical company based in San Diego, California, developing much-needed therapies for people with endocrine diseases and endocrine-related tumors. We were founded by a dedicated team of scientists with the simple belief that better therapies developed from rigorous innovation can lead to better lives. Our work continues to make a real difference in the lives of patients. We have a prolific discovery engine and a robust preclinical and clinical development pipeline. We are driven by science with a patient-centric and team-oriented culture. Crinetics is known for its inclusive workplace culture. We are also a dog-friendly workplace. This is an exciting time to join Crinetics as we shape our organization into the world’s premier fully integrated endocrine company from discovery to patients. Join our team as we transform the lives of others. Position Summary: The Associate Director, Outsourcing & Vendor Governance (OVG) & Supplier Management is responsible for the strategic oversight, governance, and performance management of external suppliers supporting the Technical Operations / CMC organization. This role manages a broad and complex network of external partners across development, manufacturing, testing, and supply to ensure reliable, compliant, and cost-effective execution of CMC programs. This position is critical to enabling program success by ensuring external suppliers are effectively selected, governed, and integrated into the company’s Technical Operations strategy. The Associate Director serves as a key interface between CMC, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and Procurement, and brings deep experience in external manufacturing and supplier management within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in CMC, Technical Operations, external manufacturing, outsourcing, or supplier management within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
• Demonstrated experience managing external suppliers, CMOs, or CDMOs across development and/or commercial manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of GMP, GxP, and regulatory expectations for external manufacturing and testing.
• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-supplier environments and cross-functional stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (MS, PhD, MBA).
• Experience supporting both clinical and commercial CMC programs.
• Familiarity with supplier governance models, KPIs, and risk management frameworks.
• Strong negotiation, influence, and executive communication skills.

Responsibilities

• External Supplier Strategy & Governance Own the supplier management strategy for Technical Operations, overseeing a diverse portfolio of CMOs, CDMOs, testing laboratories, depots, raw material suppliers, and other external service providers.
• Establish and maintain supplier governance models, including operating frameworks, performance reviews, and escalation pathways.
• Ensure external suppliers are aligned with program timelines, technical requirements, and business priorities.
• Serve as the primary Technical Operations point of contact for strategic external suppliers.
• Supplier Performance, Relationship Management & Negotiations Lead and own negotiations with external suppliers for all Technical Operations–related contracts, amendments, and scope changes, in partnership with Procurement and Legal.
• Negotiate pricing, timelines, capacity commitments, change orders, and service levels to ensure alignment with technical, quality, and financial objectives.
• Drive ongoing supplier performance management, including KPIs, SLAs, quality metrics, and delivery performance.
• Lead regular business reviews with key suppliers to assess performance, risks, and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Outsourcing Execution & Cross Functional Collaboration Partner with CMC, Technical Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and Procurement to support supplier selection, onboarding, and lifecycle management.
• Support outsourcing strategies across clinical and commercial stages, including make-vs-buy decisions.
• Ensure effective communication and alignment between internal teams and external partners.
• Support contract execution, change management, and scope alignment in collaboration with Legal and Procurement.
• Quality, Compliance, & Risk Management Ensure external suppliers operate in compliance with applicable GMP, GxP, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner closely with Quality to support audits, inspections, quality agreements, and issue resolution.
• Proactively identify compliance, capacity, and business continuity risks within the supplier network.
• Financial & Operational Oversight Partner with Technical Operations Business Operations and Finance to support budget planning, forecasting, and tracking of external supplier spend.
• Monitor supplier cost drivers, scope changes, and financial risks associated with outsourcing activities.
• Support cost optimization and value creation initiatives across the supplier portfolio.
• Process Improvement & Scalability Develop and standardize supplier management processes, tools, and templates to support a growing and evolving Technical Operations organization.
• Drive continuous improvement in outsourcing models, governance practices, and supplier performance management.
• Contribute to long-term CMC and Technical Operations strategy by enabling scalable external partnerships.
• Other duties as assigned

Benefits

• In addition to your base pay, our total rewards program consists of a discretionary annual target bonus, stock options, ESPP, and 401k match.
• We also provide top-notch health insurance plans for employees (and their families) to include medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance, 20 days of PTO, 10 paid holidays, and a winter company shutdown.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees